By
Aug. 3, 2007

<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between June 19 and July 23, 2007. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, larcenies, or medical shuttles.</i><i></i>

By
Aug. 3, 2007

By
Aug. 3, 2007

The Department of Facilities is in the process of replacing the automatic door mechanism for MIT’s front door, the main double doors into Lobby 7. The work began on July 16, and currently the doorway is covered by a large plywood board. Joseph P. Vella, Jr., supervisor of Carpentry for Facilities, said that he hopes the doors would be complete by Friday, Aug. 17.

Both the number of MIT students receiving Pell grants and the average amount awarded to MIT students increased for the 2006–2007 academic year. The number of recipients increased 3.5 percent and the average amount increased 5.5 percent from the previous year, Director of Financial Aid Daniel Barkowitz said.

By
Aug. 3, 2007

Students who bank at the MIT Federal Credit Union will no longer have to trek to the Technology Square office as renovations to place a new branch office in the former Game Room on the first floor of the Student Center nears completion.

Steven D. Eppinger ’83, professor of Management Science, has been appointed as the interim dean of MIT Sloan School of Management, effective July 1. The former dean of Sloan School Richard Schmalensee ’65, professor of economics and management, stepped down at the end of the Spring 2007 term after nine years as dean.

MIT released a preliminary report detailing recommendations on how the Institute can undertake a study on faculty race issues. The study is anticipated to be fully launched at the start of the 2007–2008 academic year, according to the report released on July 16.

Subra Suresh PhD ’81, professor in the Department of Material Science and Engineering, was appointed as the new dean of engineering in June, effective July 23. Suresh replaced Institute Professor Thomas L. Magnanti, who was dean since 1999, according to the MIT News Office.

The body of Cambridge resident Edgar R. Gonzalez ’04 was found in Grout Pond in Stratton, Vt. on July 29. Gonzalez had been missing since July 7 when he became separated from his group while hiking during a camping trip in the Green Mountain National Forest.

California lawmakers scrambled Wednesday to end a deadlock over the state’s overdue budget, as $1 billion in payments to hospitals, nursing homes, colleges and dozens of state suppliers ground to a halt.

An Interstate highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis loaded with rush-hour traffic dropped more than 60 feet into the Mississippi River on Wednesday night, sending at least 50 vehicles and passengers into the water.

The European Central Bank signaled Thursday that it would raise interest rates in September to curb inflation amid an expanding economy. Its president, Jean-Claude Trichet, also vowed to pay “great attention” to volatile developments in global financial markets.

By
Sheryl Gay StolbergRobert PearJane Perlez
Aug. 3, 2007

President Bush said Thursday that the United States would freeze the property and assets of anyone trying to undermine Lebanon’s democratically elected government — a move intended as a sharp warning to Syria and its ally, Hezbollah, not to meddle in Lebanese affairs.

Sudan’s foreign minister told reporters Wednesday that the government supported the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur, as authorized by the Security Council, while a number of countries in Africa, Asia and Europe volunteered to send troops to join it.

My advice to you: head to the beach if you can. Today and tomorrow will be very hot and humid, making the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean feel downright pleasant. Watch out for possible thunderstorms, some of which could be severe. If you plan to be outside, drink plenty of water to prevent heat exhaustion and remember the sunscreen. Sunday’s forecast shows some relief from the heat, and a passing high pressure system will ensure a sunny day.

The Senate gave final approval Thursday to a far-reaching package of new ethics and lobbying rules, with an overwhelming majority of Republicans and Democrats agreeing to better police the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists.

The most anticipated book of the last decade perhaps — certainly the most talked about of the year — the final <i>Harry Potter</i> book hit the stores two weeks ago, breaking sales records left and right (although not before pictures of each of the American version’s 759 pages had been leaked online). That it tops the best-seller lists should come as no surprise, but how does the book itself measure up?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth movie in the series based on J.K. Rowling’s books, follows Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends as they enter their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), the evil Dark wizard, has returned, but no one at the Ministry of Magic wants to admit it. Instead, the Ministry uses all its might to convince the public that Harry Potter is a liar and control all those who believe in him. They even go so far as to place the wickedly sweet Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) at Hogwarts to watch over Harry and squash any rebellious behavior. All of this while Lord Voldemort is trying to obtain some sort of weapon in his fight for control.

Usually, I open Mozilla Firefox and expect to find typical sporting news on ESPN.com: the Red Sox won; the Yankees lost; Mark Cuban complained about X, Y, and Z; Scott Boras’ clients are holding out for more money; another Cincinnati Bengal was arrested; Shaquille O’Neal said something profound; the Celtics’ front office did something horrifying. In other words, I expect to find news causing the average fan to smile a little wider or groan a little louder.